-
His entire body continued to shiver with every passing moment, and every painful thought that surfaced in his mind. The conflicts and battles taking place within him, were slowly eating away it his heart. Axl was still determined to gain his father's affection, yet that goal seemed to fall further and further away from his reach. It was so simple, and at the same time, so complex. What child did not have, or at least wish for, the unconditional love and guidance of a parent? Now he was also pressured with also gaining X's approval, which was just as difficult. Especially since his own conflicting emotions possessed more control over his words than he, himself, had.
The young Reploid moved from the chair he had been assigned, his facial features ablaze with bitterness and anger; bitterness that was the product of a life of confusion, lies, and anguish. He slowly narrowed his eyes at a nearby table, catching a glimpse of a photograph. Slowly, he walked over to it, fighting the temptation to smash it into about a million little pieces.
It was a picture of X and Zero, in what looked like the outdoor setting of the base. Both had innocent smiles on their faces, and both were blissfully oblivious that the other was making a variety of stupid gestures behind their backs. X, for example, was giving Zero a pair of whimsical 'bunny ears,' while Zero was holding up a poorly-written sign above X's head, that read 'My face is a weapon of mass destruction. Fear it.' It also had what looked like an arrow, pointing down at the grinning X. Each of them looked equally stupid.
In spite of it's idiocy, it touched the boy in a way he could not explain. Axl held it in his hands for a moment, shuddering as light teardrops flecked the protective glass. Closing his eyes tightly, he brought the golden frame to his chest, clutching it as if it meant life or death. It was strange; these simple pleasures existed only in his childish dreams and fantasies. Never once, had he seen anything like this happen in reality; much less had he seen it captivated in such a plain likeliness.
Reluctantly, he stopped clinging to it, positioned it in it's rightful place, and wiped off the droplets of water that had smeared it's flawless surface. It was hard to believe X and Zero had ever been able to enjoy such activites, as he couldn't visualize X smiling at this point. This chain of thoughts had landed him in more guilt, to add to his ever-growing collection.
"..They were really this happy once," whispered Axl, who had cascaded to the ground. "Before I came, and ruined everything...It's all my fault!" He gasped as he heard his own voice being thrown back at him, by the colorless paneling that surrounded him. His eyes ventured to the flooring, while he battled to force his mind to erase such notions. Surely, once the fighting was over, they could get back to being so content and carefree. Everyone has someone; they could all return to their normal lives.
Yet, Axl had nothing left, but the rising loneliness that filled his heart.
He would be the one to lose everything. The people he had once called his family, would be murdered because of the duties of the Maverick Hunters. Axl understood this, and did not deny it was for the greater good. Not that this could make him feel any better. And if he were to return to Red Alert? Red and the others would spit at the sound of his name, and his heroes would despise him, as well. He was condemned to a world where only the strong survive - and he was the weakest of all.
With this, Axl slumped to the frigid metallic flooring, and remained completely still. He vaguely resembled a dog, laying in defeat in front of their master. Tiny droplets of water gathered in a moist puddle under his face, while the youth stuggled to keep them locked inside. 'Nobody can see me like this,' he thought to himself. A disheartening silence had begun to drift over the room, and only the harse voices of his memories echoed in his mind.
- Flashback -
Axl stared sadly at the ground, shaking his head slowly. The security systems began to activate, and the base seemed to come alive. The sound of alarms pierced the unnerving muteness between father and son, while a monotone, computerized voice shouted 'Warning! Warning!' repetitively. Red motioned toward the nearest exit, and had begun to make for it. Axl remained oblivious to the happenings around him, his eyes fixed with intensity.
A few moments had passed, and the boy had not come out. Red rolled his eyes scornfully, rushing back inside. Security cameras protruded from the walls, searching for the He grabbed Axl by his arm, and pulled him out the way he had come.
"What's wrong with you? I told you we had to get out of there" Red muttered angrily. "Don't you pay attention? If one of those cameras caught a glimpse of you..." He trailed off, clenching his fists in frustration. Finally, he shook his head, unable to form words. He looked off into the distance, the direction of Red Alert's base, and had begun running for home.
"Father" Axl whispered softly, after Red was out of hearing range.
"Why don't you love me?"
-
The tormenting serenity was finally pierced by the sudden pandemonium of voices.Outside X's chamber, irritating crashing noises and shouts were painfully audible. The youth assumed it was the sound of other rookie Maverick Hunters, partying and having the time of their lives. It had always been rumored, that new trainees, and just about everyone from Zero's unit, always loved an needless amounts of alcohol, and excessive celebrations. Axl had always wondered why all the insane Reploids had gone over to Zero's unit, it couldn't possibly be beneficial to anyone's health.
Being helpless to put a stop to the commotion, Axl snatched one of X's pillows, and tried to block the sound out by burying his head into it. This proved to be a failure, for the insanity outside was still reaching his auditives. He tossed the overstuffed pillow across the room, unaware of the large opening in the side of it. He stifled a scream, while small, soft bird feathers floated about the room, creating a phenomenon like that of a rainstorm. For his second attempt, he used his personal favorite solution for every problem;
Which, of course, was violence.
As if a confined animal had been unleashed from it's prison, he began furiously pounding against the walls with his fists, decorating them with nice little indentations. Just a little payback for his 'unjust' punishment. Axl had then proceeded with his methods, kicking viciously against the doorway as if he had gone completely berserk. The sound of the two metallic surfaces colliding emitted satisfying array of clattering sounds, in which Axl felt a wisp of bittersweet happiness. X was going to strangle him for destroying these walls, he knew. Then again, X could probably find something to blame on the teen Reploid anyway, even if he had been a perfect little angel.
Axl finally ceased his assault on X's living quarters, and gave the door a venomous glare. Much to his surprise, the fanfare outside had also abruptly stopped, which was unusual. Zero's unit, as well as the newere hunters, were widely known for being incredibly stubborn. However, they seemed to comply to Axl's agitated request, with no rebellion at all. Not even one of them came in to tell the boy to quiet down. The setting outside was abnormally quiet, and there was a disturbing lack of speaking. Had he really tamed Zero's unit so easily?
Suddenly, X's entire bedroom had begun to convulse, which brought Axl to the ground. He winced, glancing back at the walls.
"..I always knew I was good," muttered Axl, half with pride, and half with dismay. "But I had no idea I was that good." As if the panels had been deeply offended because of his words, a large piece of rubble immediately plummeted from the quivering doorway. It had landed with unbelievable accuracy onto his left hand, causing him to bite down on his bottom lip. The young Reploid held urge to scream inside, as well as the temptation to throw the rock right back at the door.
Instinctively, he crawled toward the chair as best he could, in an attempt to take cover from the earthquake. It lucky that he had done so, for in the next instant, the entire door shattered before him. Although he felt somewhat happy with the revenge, the frightened child still turned away.
Thickened, heavy, and somewhat cold mist flowed from the opening, which caused him to cover his face as a safety method. He could faintly hear the hollow footsteps of another Reploid, one that brought an uncompassionate atmosphere with him. He couldn't indentify to whom they belonged to, but he got the impression he was bound to find out very soon.
After what felt like an eternity, the strides made by the other Reploid had come to an end. Axl could feel the freezing metal of familiar armor, and could almost sense the venomous gaze of the other upon him. He reacted like any terrified child would, shutting his eyes and placing his hands over his head.
This meager form of protection was not enough to suffice for long, so his next option was to strategize, in hopes of escaping; however, these assessments never arrived. He felt a powerful hold tighten around a tuft of his hair, pulling back with immense strength. The young one's head was forced into an upright position, despite how he continued to rebel against his captor. However, his struggling movements immediately came to a standstill, as his eyes met with those of a darkened figure.
-
Next chapter will have some violence in it, so you can all point and laugh at my attempt to write action scenes.
Anyways, thanks for reviews, everyone!
And special thanks to Rue-07: Not only for keeping up and reviewing almost every one of these chapters, but for giving me enough confidence to continue this story. :3 I never would have come even this far without you, and I can't name many people who've made me happy with my stuff. But you're definitely one of those few. Thanks! (: